On Monday morning, the Bills announced via a press release that Nathan Peterman was named the team’s starting quarterback. Shortly after, McDermott spoke on the subject at a press conference prior to practice and explained his decision.

The coach confirmed what many thought, Peterman simply put out the best quarterback numbers for the team throughout the preseason, leading to his start.

Peterman had an 80.5 completion percentage, which was the best in the NFL for anyone who had thrown at least 33 passes through three preseason games. Peterman’s threw for the fourth-most yards in the preseason of any QB in the NFL (431) in that same time span as well.

Regardless, Allen was viewed as Peterman’s top competitor for the job.

Allen had a streaky preseason, he completed only about half of his passes (24-for-44), but he still flashed his natural talents. Allen impressed with his arm strength and his mobility. McDermott said it wasn’t an easy decision for him to go with Peterman.

“It’s always a tough decision, and that’s a good thing because those guys were competing at a high level. And I would say we’ve had a lot of tough decisions, which is a good thing for our roster,” McDermott said.

What also likely made the decision tough for McDermott was the past.

In 2017, Peterman now infamously threw five interceptions in one half of football against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, Peterman also had a disastrous first-career start in college as well.

At the University of Tennessee in 2013, Peterman made his first-career college start. His final line read: 4-for-11 passing for five yards, with two interceptions and a fumble. He was benched.

That start left Peterman out of favor at Tennessee. He left and transferred to the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a starting job. In 2016, Peterman’s Pitt topped the Tigers 43-42. Later that year, Clemson won the national title. It was the lone loss Clemson had the entire year, and Peterman’s 22-for-37 passing, 308 yards and five touchdowns was the difference maker.

In his decision-making, McDermott acknowledged that Peterman has proven his ability to bounce-back.

“(Peterman’s) a resident young man. He’s certainly come through some times of adversity throughout his career. Look, he’s still a young player. I’ve been impressed with his mental toughness, his command of the offense, the way he has generated yards and then points in the preseason.”

“Just overall, you watch him at Tennessee, you watch him at Pitt. Right now he’s a Buffalo Bill in terms of his journey, like all of us, and that character trait is a great trait to have in terms of being a resilient young man.”

In terms of the quarterback situation behind Peterman, McDermott said Allen will continue to work on improving his game.

“I’m pleased with the way Josh has developed,” McDermott said. “I expect Josh will be ready when his number is called.”

Without McCarron in the picture, the Bills will still have a third-string quarterback though. In the same Joe Webb-like way, tight end Logan Thomas, previously a quarterback in college with Virginia Tech, will be the emergency quarterback for the Bills.